On May 29, 2007, a milestone was reached in Nigeria’s history when outgoing Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo handed over power to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, marking the first time that a civilian head of state had been succeeded by another civilian. The presidential election took place on April 21, a week after the gubernatorial and state assembly elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Yar’Adua, flag bearer of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the victorious candidate, with a landslide 24.6 million votes. Former military head of state Muhammadu Buhari won 6.6 million votes, and Vice Pres. Atiku Abubakar took 2.6 million. The PDP won control of 28 of the 36 states, but Lagos, the largest city, remained under the domination of the opposition Alliance for Democracy (AD).

Unfortunately, these elections fell far below the standards of democratic practice. Shortly before the state elections, the federal army killed at least 25 suspected Islamic militants in Kano. A few hours before voting began on April 21, there was an alleged attempt in Bayelsa state to assassinate Gov. Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP vice presidential candidate, as well as an unsuccessful attempt to bomb INEC’s Abuja headquarters. On election day, fraud and thuggery occurred on a massive scale: some polling stations never opened; many opened late; there was a shortage of ballots; voters were often intimidated; and in some precincts the total vote exceeded the number of registered voters. A low turnout reflected popular skepticism of the political process. Observers from multiple international and national watchdog organizations lamented the widespread violence and malpractice, but the Economic Community of West African States representatives pronounced the elections as “fairly acceptable,” and other observers identified positive trends in the country’s democratization process.

Before inauguration day Yar’Adua sought reconciliation with the opposition parties (which had challenged the election in court) and Niger Delta groups (which had stepped up militant action in the oil-producing region). Yar’Adua inherited from Obasanjo a strong political economy that had achieved important successes in paying off the bulk of the country’s international debt, extended democracy and the rule of law, restructured the civil service, and made a determined drive against corruption. Within his first 100 days of office, however, the new president broke ranks with his predecessor. He suspended or reversed some of Obasanjo’s policies and last-minute decisions concerning privatization, redecriminalization of the currency, a raise in the fuel price, the dismissal of top civil servants, and taxation. Yar’Adua also announced an extensive review of legislation and appointed a new economic team.

In the Niger Delta, the source of 90% of Nigeria’s wealth, the security situation deteriorated. Local armed militia, backed by local inhabitants, seemed dangerously close to turning into an insurgency. In February the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a coalition of militant groups, released a proclamation threatening war. Kidnappings of foreign oil workers accelerated, with a new dimension of random abductions in the centre of Port Harcourt. After the elections militants in various places, claiming that victorious politicians had reneged on promised payments for their services as party thugs, seized 11 Ondo state officials and a number of relatives of politicians, including children and the elderly mothers of two governors. Meanwhile, their truce with the government fell apart in August when fighting broke out among rival gangs in Port Harcourt. Many were killed or wounded. To restore order the government mobilized the Joint Task Force into the region to round up the militants and destroy their strongholds; this was followed in October by a federal army operation in the Port Harcourt waterfront. Residents, however, were skeptical of a military solution and urged the development of effective economic reforms and poverty alleviation.

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